Reliant Stadium checks escalator after fan's fatal fall

The escalator bank at the north east corner of Reliant Stadium is where a man fell from somewhere between the fifth and third level to his death, Aug. 31, 2012, in Houston. A man in in his 20's was reported to have falen to his death when he was siting on the rail of an escalator that descended from the fifth to third level during last night's Houston Texan's preseason game.

The escalator bank at the north east corner of Reliant Stadium is where a man fell from somewhere between the fifth and third level to his death, Aug. 31, 2012, in Houston. A man in in his 20's was reported to

The escalator bank at the north east corner of Reliant Stadium is where a man fell from somewhere between the fifth and third level to his death, Aug. 31, 2012, in Houston. A man in in his 20's was reported to have falen to his death when he was siting on the rail of an escalator that descended from the fifth to third level during last night's Houston Texan's preseason game.

The escalator bank at the north east corner of Reliant Stadium is where a man fell from somewhere between the fifth and third level to his death, Aug. 31, 2012, in Houston. A man in in his 20's was reported to

Authorities have identified a 25-year-old Houston man who fell to his death while horsing around on an escalator at Reliant Stadium while attending the Texans preseason finale Thursday.

The man allegedly was trying to slide down the outside of the handrail on the escalator at the Coca-Cola Gate near the northeast side of the stadium at about 8:10 p.m. when he fell three stories, landing on the pavement. He was identified as Jonathan Kelly by the Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences.

Police could not confirm the man was horse-playing before he fell, said Jodi Silva, a spokesman with the Houston Police Department. Silva said HPD is investigating the case and it is being looked at as an accidental death.

Kelly was attending the game with some friends, said a co-worker who was not at the event and asked that his name not be published.

The co-worker said Kelly had worked for about three months as a plant operator at a private water and wastewater utility company.

Reliant Park issued a statement confirming an escalator accident involving a fan. The victim was taken to a hospital.

The man was on the escalator on a northeast side of the stadium descending from level five to level three when he fell about 60 feet, Mark Miller, General Manager SMG Reliant Park, said during news conference Friday morning.

Miller said he didn't have details about what the man was doing before he fell because the investigation into the incident is ongoing.

Stadium officials would not say whether the escalator handrail had any sort of anti-slide feature, such as raised circles sometimes called "hockey pucks."

"Because the investigation is still ongoing, we're not making any comment regarding the escalators," spokeswoman Angela Gutierrez said. "For right now that's all we can tell you."

Miller said stadium staff members are posted on each landing at escalators, and signs on the equipment encourage safety.

The stadium staff will review safety procedures and the escalators will be inspected to make sure they are working properly and are safe, Miller said. He said the northeast escalators will be shut down while they are inspected. They won't be operating during a high school football game scheduled for Friday night, he added.

Miller expressed sympathy for the man and his family.

"Our thoughts and prayers are with the family at this moment," he said.

Houston police said that according to initial information they received, the victim died at the hospital.

Escalator safety standards proposed by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers in a document entitled ASME17 are often used in the manufacture and installation of escalators, but enforcement of the standards is typically made at the state or local level.

No information was immediately available on whether Houston or Texas building codes requires adherence to ASME 17 in escalator construction.

Kelly's death comes just more than a year after 39-year-old Shannon Stone fell to his death during a Texas Rangers baseball game in Arlington in July 2011. Stone had grabbed a baseball tossed by an outfielder toward the stands and toppled over the railing, falling about 20 feet to concrete below.